We enable aspiring entrepreneurs to effect inspiring outcomes.

Upaya’s entrepreneurs are the backbone of our mission to create dignified jobs for the poorest of the poor. We work with early-stage social entrepreneurs who have the passion and ambition to end extreme poverty. We provide mentorship, consulting, and investment to help them grow their businesses and employ more people who are most in need of stable, dignified jobs.

About the Program

Upaya’s Accelerator Program is a hands-on leadership development experience for early-stage social entrepreneurs. Taking place over the course of four months, entrepreneurs will attend three immersive workshops designed to equip them with the knowledge and connections to grow their businesses. They will receive one-on-one consulting support from Upaya’s experienced team throughout the workshops and during a site visit to their business. The entrepreneurs will meet and network with industry experts, investors, and peer entrepreneurs.

The program is designed to focus on three key areas:

Program Benefits

Upaya’s accelerator program is provided free of cost to the eight to 12 entrepreneurs in each cohort. Benefits of the program include:

Access to Upaya funding | Upaya selects up to three enterprises for investment from each cohort, each receiving up to $50,000 in equity investment.
Access to Additional Investors | Participants have access to investors through pitch and networking opportunities.
Three Classroom Workshops | Workshops are focused on helping companies improve their business model and prepare for investment. Each workshop is centered around one of our key focus areas: finance, impact, and leadership.
Individualized Support | Upaya’s team provides one-on-one support, including field visits, regular check-ins, and the creation of a 100-day plan, to help companies refine their business plan, pitch deck, and financial model.
All Expenses Paid | The cost for travel and logistics for the program will be covered by Upaya Social Ventures.

2020 Selection Process

We will select eight to 12 companies for each Accelerator cohort following a two-step application process.

ROUND 1 APPLICATION

We invite all entrepreneurs who meet our selection criteria below to submit a first round application!

ROUND 2 APPLICATION

Entrepreneurs will be notified via email whether they are invited to submit a second round application.

COHORT SELECTION

Upaya will contact the entrepreneurs selected for the cohort.

Cohort Entrepreneur Reviews

"Running a business whilst creating impact comes with its own set of perils. But this program has been extremely helpful in understanding and identifying all the challenges and finding solutions for them."

-Shrimayee, Aval, 2020 Cohort

“This has been an incredible learning experience for me. Loved Upaya's personalised and detail-oriented approach towards its cohort members. Today, I am more confident about my organisation’s financial model and strategy and can say that we are Investor Ready due to this program.”

- Sonali, Nugu Handmade, 2019 Cohort

“It was one of the most value-adding programs! We were guided on topics most relevant to the business and then got enough space and time to reflect and implement. The diligent follow-up made a world of difference! All of us in the cohort can actually work together on so many things in the future because we are all working towards creating impact where it’s needed the most.”

Varun, THOA, 2020 Cohort

"Upaya's accelerator taught us how to get our business processes and financial modeling in place, and how to begin preparing for the coming days with leadership skills and HR recruitment."

-Meenakshi, Helper4U, 2017 Cohort

“A never to miss opportunity. An absolute honor. Upaya is like family now.”

- Manan, YouCare, 2019 Cohort

"Everything, from structural organization and financial management, to team creation and understanding how others perceive your business, has been well taken care of at Upaya."

-Mansi, UpSkill, 2017 Cohort

"I am confident that with the help of the program, we together will be able to build a scalable for-profit enterprise along with impacting thousands at the bottom of pyramid."

- Saral, The Shoe Men, 2017 Cohort

Meet the 2020 Cohort!

Featured

Applications for our 2020 Accelerator Program are now closed. Please subscribe to our newsletter below or follow us on social media to learn about future programs and funding opportunities.

Selection Criteria

We select eight to 12 entrepreneurs for each cohort who lead for-profit businesses that are creating jobs for people living in extreme poverty. Upaya’s expertise is in working with early-stage social enterprises, many of which have not yet raised significant prior funding. We invite applications from companies that match the following criteria:

FOR-PROFIT

Enterprises must be legally incorporated as a for-profit business in India.

EARLY-STAGE

Enterprises must be less than 5 years old with revenue-generating customers.

LITTLE PRIOR FUNDING

Enterprises have raised no more than 50 Lakhs in funding but are looking to raise more funding within 6-8 months.

SOCIAL IMPACT DRIVEN

Companies that create jobs for those living in extreme poverty or significantly improve income levels by purchasing from them. More details below.

SOCIAL IMPACT

Upaya defines a job as a full-time or part-time engagement that helps a person work themselves out of extreme poverty. We look for companies that enable their employees to:

increase their daily food expenditure for their families,
earn a reliable income that enables them to save for future needs,
receive training to strengthen their skills,
purchase assets like motorcycle/bicycle or refrigerator.

We seek companies that:

directly employ the extreme poor as employees
provide income as suppliers
help develop skills for the poor to enable them to get better jobs
provide substantial increase of income through aggregation